Sick at Heart
by MlleImparfait
Summary: Jones is sick. Dan is awkward. Fluff, Dan/Jones if you squint.


My first go at Dan/Jones. Reviews and ConCrit are much appreciated!

The first thing Dan noticed after walking into the flat was the silence. The second thing Dan noticed was that Jones wasn't passed out on the sofa, his usual haunt when he was too exhausted to mix anymore.

"Jones?" Dan called out.

"In here." Came the muffled response from the only bedroom.

"You alright?" Dan asked, slowly pushing open the creaking door.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need a bit of a lie down." Jones was lying on his back, one arm thrown over his eyes.

Dan wasn't sure whether or not to believe him, then decided it wasn't his place to intrude anyway. "Alright then. Sleep well." He turned back to the main room, shutting the door behind him.

It was odd, being in the flat without noise. Even if Jones wasn't mixing, there was always constant noise around him. Jones was like a bumblebee, constantly buzzing with activity and noise and motion, never stopping until he crashed.

Dan grabbed his notebook and pen from the coffee table, but found it difficult to work without the noise he'd grown accustomed to. He soon found himself staring off into the middle distance, not really thinking about anything at all.

He woke up, disoriented, a few hours later to the sound of coughing. Raking his hands through his hair, he walked to the bedroom for the second time that day.

"Jones? You sure you're alright?" he knocked.

"Er, I dunno." He hadn't given permission to come in, but then Dan had never really been much for permission anyway.

"Yeah, you don't really look alright, mate." And he didn't. Jones was pale. His hair was mussed. Dan could see a light sheen of sweat on his brow even though he was visibly shivering.

"I think I might've caught something."

"Erm. Can I get you…anything?" Dan asked uncertainly, not really sure what to do.

"Maybe just a glass of water." Jones said. "I probably just need to sleep this off."

Dan nodded, and went to fetch the water. By the time he returned, Jones had fallen back asleep.

Dan set the water down on the bedside table. He turned to leave, then looked back at the bed. Normally, Jones looked peaceful when he slept. Now, however, he was anything but peaceful. He had the duvet wrapped tightly around him. His face was screwed up as if he was in pain, and he was still sweating. Though he wasn't sure why he did, some bizarre buried paternal instinct perhaps, Dan carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and felt Jones' forehead. Burning hot, just as he'd figured.

_Poor bugger._ Dan thought. His hand moved from Jones' forehead to his hair, gently brushing the sweat soaked strands away from his face. _Wait, what am I doing?_ Dan all at once came to his senses. _I'm not his mum. _

He stood up quickly and walked back to the main room of the flat. Jones was right, he probably just needed sleep.

_Might as well get some myself._ Dan lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over himself.

As it turned out, neither one of them got much sleep that night. Jones tossed and turned all night, his fever making him see things that were never there and had never existed. As for Dan, well. He didn't stay on the sofa very long. He was not worried about Jones. Definitely not.

"I'm just making sure he's not dead. That would be an unpleasant discovery in the morning." Dan muttered to himself as he walked into the bedroom.

Jones was completely tangled in the sheets. "No, Doctor! What about the lollies?" He said to someone who existed only in his feverish dreams.

Dan didn't know what to do. With a sigh, he sat down in the squashy armchair. There was nothing he could do, but for some reason he just didn't like the idea of Jones being alone in here.

The sunlight streaming through the window woke Dan early the next morning. Jones had finally quieted and looked almost peaceful, wrapped in the tangled covers on the bed.

After feeling Jones' forehead and deciding with his limited medical knowledge that yes, his fever had broken, Dan decided to go find something to eat. He hadn't had dinner the night before and his stomach was reminding him of that.

He was seated at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal when he heard a noise behind him.

"Alright, Dan." Jones smiled weakly. "Thanks for the water. I assume that was you."

"Er, yeah. It, uh, it was." He didn't know why he felt so awkward all of a sudden.

"Well, thanks." Jones perched on one of the chairs, pulling the pilfered duvet from his bed tighter around himself.

"Can I uh, get you anything else?" Dan asked.

"You don't have to take care of me, Dan." Jones smiled. "I'm not an infant."

"No, it's fine." Dan said, crossing over to the sink to rinse out his cereal bowl to cover his mistake. "I, just…"

"I said you didn't have to, Ashcroft, not that I didn't like it." Jones said. "I just don't want to cause trouble."

"It's fine. Wasn't going in to work today, anyway."

Jones smiled and ducked his head, not believing Dan's lie. "Well, if the offer still stands, a Pot Noodle would be genius right now."

Dan reached for the cabinet. "Chicken and mushroom?"

Jones chuckled. "You know me so well." His laugh quickly turned into a cough.

"Go back to bed. I'll bring it when it's ready."

Jones smiled and trundled back to the bedroom.

Once the Pot Noodle had finished, Dan headed back to the bedroom, grabbing a spoon on his way.

"Aw, cheers Dan. You're lovely." Jones hungrily dug into his food, something Dan considered a good sign.

"Anything else you need?" Dan asked, feeling awkward just standing there.

"Nah, I'm alright. Grabbed the laptop and some DVDs. I'm just gonna stay in all day."

"Well, I'll leave you to it then." Dan smiled quickly and turned for the door.

"Dan?"

"Yeah?" Dan asked, one hand already on the doorknob.

"You could stay. I don't mind. I'd like it, in fact."

Dan wasn't sure what exactly made him nod his head and walk back to the armchair, but for some reason he did.

"Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"How're you gonna see the movie from way over there?"

There were worse ways to spend the day, Dan decided, than with a sleepy Jones draped over your chest watching movies. While Dan's taste usually lay in the indie and intellectual side of things, he supposed Harry Potter and Disney movies weren't really all that dreadful. Jones seemed to like them, anyway. Jones had his fists balled up in Dan's shirt, not wanting to let Dan go even in sleep. Dan didn't especially mind. His fingers carded through Jones' hair as he gave a little snore.

Dan couldn't resist the urge to kiss Jones' forehead. So he did. Jones stirred at that.

"Dan?" he croaked groggily.

"Yeah, Jones?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Jones refocused his attention on the small laptop screen to catch the last bit of the movie.

_Would you like to stay for dinner? _

_Would you like to stay forever?_ Jones giggled.

"You'd better stay forever, Ashcroft. I'm not ever letting you go. You make a wonderful pillow."

_Don't worry._ Dan thought to himself and smiled ironically. _I don't think I could leave you if I tried._


End file.
